Name: Michal
Message: Hi, can you help please! I have an upholstered lounge chair which was covered in thick black mold as it had been left outdoors in the damp. I tried to clean it off with a water & bleach solution but found it didn't budge so eventually I had to use straight bleach(Clorox) which I rubbed all over...it worked and the chair is like new..except when you sit on it with damp clothes as the bleach is still active in the upholstery (which wasn't damaged). How can I get the bleach out completely? The bleach is probably in the wadding too. If I used Anti-chlor how would I do it? Would a steam & dry vacume clean be a good idea to finish off with? Thank you for any advice you might have.

This is an interesting question. I'm surprised at how well the bleach worked! Often a bad mold growth like that is pretty much impossible to remove. The upholstery must be made of very sturdy fabric. You might find that it will show wear quickly, though, after the damage it's probably sustained.

The most important thing, now that you have treated it with bleach, is that you must rinse the chair. I believe that there is no way around this. You should take it outside and hose it off, or dump buckets of water over it. Water is not good for upholstery, but toxic chemicals such as chlorine bleach are worse. It may be best to remove the upholstery altogether and reupholster the chair.

After you've rinsed the chair, I think it would be best to soak that chair with Anti-chlor just as you earlier did with bleach. There are different bleach stopping chemicals you can use, but you are going to have to use a large amount, and Anti-chlor (sodium bisulfite) is the most economical. (See "How can I neutralize the damaging effects of chlorine bleach?".)

Apply the Anti-chlor outside or with large fans providing excellent ventilation from open windows and doors. It's less toxic and less dangerous than chlorine bleach, but it can cause respiratory irritation, especially in people who have asthma. Read and follow the MSDS (safety precautions page) supplied by the company from which you buy it.

You can mail order Anti-chlor, that is, sodium bisulfite, from PRO Chemical & Dye or another supplier, or purchase sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, or potassium metabisulfite from a winemaking supply store. Dissolve it in water, using one teaspoon per 2.5 gallons of water. Throughly soak the chair with it, let it sit for fifteen minutes or more, and then rinse out by pouring many bucketsful of water over the chair. 

Hydrogen peroxide, the 3% strength used as an antiseptic, is a safe alternative to Anti-chlor, but it will cost more to buy a large enough quantity to soak the chair. You need to use plenty, to make sure that you have gotten enough into every place that the bleach got into.

Although steam cleaning afterwards, as you suggest, may be a good idea, I don't believe that it can substitute for rinsing with large quantities of water. 

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